Midnight Chats
by yas-m
Summary: Set in the SW sometime after Claire moves in with Jack and before the concert. Spoilers up to 6x16. Jack wakes up from a nightmare and hangs out with Claire in the the kitchen. Jack/Claire Claire/Kate Jack/Kate


**Title**: Midnight Chats

**Fandom**: Lost

**Characters**: Jack, Claire, Kate

**Summary**: Set in the SW sometime after Claire moves in with Jack and before the concert. Spoilers up to 6x16. Jack wakes up from a nightmare and hangs out with Claire in the the kitchen.

He wakes up, startled, for the third time that evening, from the same dream he has been having since he came back from from Sydney. It was not a nightmare, exactly, more like a series of images that felt like memories that he has not lived but were eerily too familiar. He almost immediately forgot them when he woke up, but tonight's were a little more vivid. He squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head, trying to rid himself of the image of a brunnette woman running towards him, looking tired and beaten, then a flash, and then the image of that same woman getting shot and falling in his arms. He looks down and sees his own hand holding onto his gut, like he had been shot himself.

He pushes himself off the bed and heads to the kitchen looking for milk, or booze. Anything that can help him get one decent night of sleep.

He jumps back slightly when he walks into the kitchen at 3am and sees a shadow leaning against the counter. "Claire," he says, as soon as his eyes adjust to the dim light and he recognizes his sister, "are you ok?"

"Yeah, sorry I startled you," she says, putting down her glass, "he's still on Sydney time and wants to kick and play now," she smiles rubbing her pregnant belly.

Jack smiles back and leans against the counter facing her, "so... I hear David invited you to the concert tomorrow evening?"

She smiles and nods, "yeah, he's a sweet boy."

Jack chuckles lightly, "yeah, he is. So, are you going you come?"

She eyes him slightly, and breaks into a short laugh, "I'm a barrel! I don't have anything decent to wear," she says, her hand going to her belly again.

"you look great," Jack replies, "you can always get something, there are great things for pregnant woman, I remember when David's mother was pregnant and..." he trails off with that thought.

Claire shakes her head, "it would be really nice, Jack, but I don't really have that sort of money on me, and I kinda gave my credit card to this girl..." she admits, bowing her head in guilt.

Jack was ready to offer to pay for it when his head snaps at the confession, "you what?" he says, looking at her skeptically.

Claire shakes her head and tries to rationalize her actions, "it was not just any girl," she says, "she helped me out when we landed, she was on the plane with us, she drove me to the hospital, she stayed with me, she..." Claire justifies rapidly, and then pauses for a moment.

"She was on the planes with us?" Jack asks, the uneasy feeling about that flight he has been having suddenly returning.

"Yeah...I know you cannot understand this Jack, you'd probably think I am crazy, but I could just trust her, for some reason..." Claire looks up at him, smiling, "it felt like we knew each other, I don't know, from another life maybe, like we were really good friends. It just felt like Kate was... a sister I never had..."

Jack feels a shiver run down his spine when he hears that name, he can not tell why, but Claire noticed the change in his face, and pauses, "are you ok?"

Jakc nods "yeah, yes..." he says but his voice is slightly shaky, "ermm... ok..." he mumbles, trying to compose himself and get his thoughts straight, "It's not weird... ummm... About the concert, though, if you really want to go, I would love to pay for a dress if you want," he says, managing a smile, "and," he immiediately adds when he notices her trying to interrupt "you can pay me back whenever you want to."

Claire smiles at him and nods slightly "Thanks, I'll think about it and get back to you in the morning?"

"deal," Jack says.

Half an hour later, he is back in his bed and trying to go back to sleep, but that name won't escape his thoughts. And this time, when the images return, the green eyed woman has a name. He hears his own voice whispering it, to her, as he wakes her from her sleep, one hand landing on her bare back, tenderly brushing against her soft, warm skin, tangling in her brown curls, and the other reaching into his pocket to make sure the engagement ring he bought for her is securely tucked in where he put it.


End file.
